The Genius of Ray Charles is a 1959 album by Ray Charles. In 2003, the album was ranked number 263 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Some players from Ray Charles' big band are joined by many ringers from the Count Basie and Duke Ellington bands for the first half of this program, featuring Charles belting out six songs arranged by Quincy Jones. "Let the Good Times Roll" and "Deed I Do" are highlights, and there are solos by tenorman David "Fathead" Newman, trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, and (on "Two Years of Torture") tenor Paul Gonsalves. The remaining six numbers are ballads, with Charles backed by a string orchestra arranged by Ralph Burns.

Dan Nimmer is an American jazz pianist and composer. As the title suggests, Nimmer's second release for Venus Records is a tribute to Wynton Kelly, who was a swingy, bluesy and funky genius and a groove master who worked with Miles Davis and others. Jimmy Cobb, the veteran drummer who played with Kelly in the historic "Kind of Blue" session, bridges the two generations and validates Nimmer's efforts with his impeccable groove.

Dan Nimmer is an American jazz pianist and composer. He has already released two wonderful albums as leader – Tea For Two and Kelly Blue from for Japanese Venus Records. Yours Is My Heart Alone is the eagerly awaited third release, and the fans are treated not only with the youthful, beautiful and swinging piano of Nimmer, but also sublime performances by a superb rhythm section: Peter Washington on bass and Lewis Nash on drums.

Dan Nimmer is an American jazz pianist and composer. "Modern Day Blues", his fourth album for Venus Records, is another winning trio date, this time with his contemporary band mates – bassist David Wong and drummer Pete Van Nostrand. The program has a few standards, but the bulk of it consists of attractive compositions by jazz musicians, including cool gems like "Out of the Past" by Benny Golson, "Le Coiffeur" by Dexter Gordon and "Uh Huh" by Hank Mobley. Nimmer closes the program with his "Modern-Day Blues", a powerful modal blues and definitely a highlight of this satisfying release. Recommended to fans of straight-ahead piano trio music.

Long considered a jewel in Verve Records' very impressive crown, Fitzgerald's songbook collections of various composers–a series that was started by the success of this set–are all wonderful, but her natural wit and intelligence was at its most perfect with Cole Porter's erudite, urbane songs. While not as scat-oriented as her small group outings, these Porter sets offer her most realized pop performances. Also, the gold remastering does a fine job of bringing out the nuances in the arrangements, making this a treasure for the serious collector and the casual listener alike. A true American music gem.

Soulville is one of the highlights of Ben Webster's golden era. From 1953 to 1959 Webster recorded 10 landmark albums showcasing his swing tenor saxophone, and this album from 1957 is considered a classic. Soulville has it all: there's cool groovy jazz, a bit of soul, a bit of blues, a sense of longing and a whole lot of romance on this ballad-heavy collection. The quintet in the credits consists of Webster, drummer Stan Levey and the Oscar Peterson Trio.

Recording an album of arias written expressly for Farinelli, one of the most legendary castratos of the eighteenth century, is brave; his name invokes a world of superhuman vocal feats, remarkable pathos, and a uniquely strong and brilliant tone that, for obvious anatomical reasons, will not be replicated by modern singers. But that clearly does not scare Vivica Genaux who, along with René Jacobs and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, dives into Farinelli's repertory as if it were her very own.

Ole Bull was an adventurer, violin virtuoso, composer and international star who brought the name of Norway to worldwide attention. Within music and drama he was a pioneer in the development of a national identity, and on the concert stage his fabulous playing skills and intense charisma early won him the sobriquet “the Scandinavian Paganini”. In this recording some of Ole Bull’s best known compositions appear alongside works which have only recently been rediscovered. In these compositions we are given some idea of how and why he enthralled his audiences in the nineteenth century with his incredible technique and intense charisma.